Marsh Family Name History

Up until relatively recent times a son generally followed his father into his occupation. If your father was a tailor, you would be a tailor and your sons would also be tailors when they grew up. During the Middle Ages, the Feudal political and economic system kept most people tied to the land so if your father lived in Tewksbury so did you, and so did your son etc. Because of this it was convenient to referred to people by their occupation or place of habitation. Hence, a tailor or metal smith named John might be referred to as John the tailor, or John the smith. Jesus Christ was referred to by his contemporaries as Jesus of Nazareth because this was the town he grew up in. Over time as our culture has changed, these labels have lost their meaning; but mankind being what he is, we have kept the labels and now we call them our surnames.

The initial bearers of the Marsh family surname probably lived near and gained their livelihood from a local marsh. We see names in the early records like; James atte Marsche and Gutaf de le Merse. The word atte meaning "at the" and de le meaning "of the". Just as there are many marshes in the world, there are also many genealogically distinct Marsh families in the world also. What does this mean? Simply put, it means that two strangers who meet each other and discover that they both have the name Marsh are probably not genetically related to each other in any meaningful way.

That being said; Marsh families from all around the world originally came from one of four countries: England, Wales, Ireland, or Germany. This is because the name Marsh is derived from the Middle Lower German word "marsch" meaning "marsh, fen or swamp".The Jutes, Angles, and Saxon tribes from the area now called Germany invaded the British Isles soon after the Romans left in the 3rd to 4th century AD. Along with the normal raping and pillaging, these German tribes influenced the languages of Britain in much the same way the Vikings did in the 6th thru 11th centuries and the French did after their invasion in 1066. Variants of Marsh include: Marsch, Marsche, Masch, Morsch and Mersh(old English).

An early reference of the Marsh name in Germany is the record of Agnes Marsch who married Martin Osswald in Neuhausen.An Der Erms,Wurttemberg, on Sept 15, 1663. This name was introduced to America as early as 1851, when records show Henrich Marsch and his family emigrated to this country via New York on board the clipper Atlantic. An early reference of the Marsh name in England Godard de la Merse can be found recorded in 1194 in the Somerset Pipe Rolls. Another is William atte Marsch; recorded, 1296 in the Subsidy Rolls, Sussex Welsh references to the Marsh name can be found as least as early as 1629 when Elizabeth Marsh daughter of John Marsh was recorded christened in Grosmont, Monmouthshire. Finally, in Ireland, Marsh families have been found in the records as early as 1712 in the city of Dublin when Andrew Marsh was born to Andrew Marsh and Margaret Ormond.

In recent surveys it has been estimated that their are over 60,000 Marshes in the United States alone. Some of the more famous Marshes are George Perkins Marsh, the American writer and Dame Marsh the New Zealand novelist.

Heraldry

Heraldy arose in the 12th century,around the time of the Crusades. In battle, a knight dressed in armour would be barely recognized by friend or foe, so a new method fo identification became necessary. This resulted in special markings being painted on the knbight's shield and in the coat he wore over his armour (hence the phrase Coat of Arms). A son would inherit the marking of his father, carrying them into battle with pride. After a battle, the knight returned to his castle or manor and hung his shild and helnet on the wall. The colorful tournaments of jousting competitions of the Middle Ages helped greatly in the development of heraldry.

However when jousting was no longer in fashion, the individual markings used by knights began to appear on the seals ,in stone, and on objects of value. This was particularly improtant in an age when very few ppeople could write.

Heraldry has its own special language which comes from the Norman French. It was introduced to Britain and Ireland after the Norman conquest of 1066. The Coat of Arms is itself described as the "Blazon", and in most descriptions the first word is the color of the shield. Above the Blazon is found the knights helmet on which is placed the Crest. a decorative feature. The markings on the shield are referred to as "charges" or" ordinaries". As time passed and people learned to read and write a " motto" was sometimes added to the Blazon.

So what does this mean for the Marshes of the world? Do we have a Blazon of Arms, a Crest, or even a Motto? Well of course we do. In fact because Heraldry is a family thing and Marshes have many origins we have lots of them! Actually if you don't know what your Marsh Coat of Arms is you would probably be better off making a brand new one. Remember since the whole idea of heraldry is to have a unique symbol for your family do you really want to use someone elses?

Generally the family mottos are written in Latin. Some of the Mottos used by Marsh familes in the past are:

In hoc signa vinces (Under this sign you will conquer) England

Nolo servile capistrum (I do not wish a slave's halter) Ireland

Hope this helps you a little in your research.

If you know of other famous Marshes or know of earlier records of Marshes either in the US or over seas e-mail the web-master so I can update this information.